WhatsApp opposes against fake news: Main features to enhance dissemination of newsletters

WhatsApp opposes against fake news: Main features to enhance dissemination of newsletters

WhatsApp is under fire over reports of mob violence and lynching incidents in India, due to spread of misinformation and videos on the platform. The Facebook-owned app has rolled out some new features in order to stop misleading photos, videos and messages from spreading on it, and some are in beta-testing phase. These include Forwarded label, more controls to Group Admins, etc.

Of course, the fight against misinformation is not easy due to the sheer number of people who use WhatsApp globally, which is nearly 1.5 billion. In India, over 250 million users are on WhatsApp. In a response letter to India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEIT), WhatsApp has made it clear that it will ramp up efforts to fight fake news in India.

WhatsApp Forwarded label

WhatsApp has started to tag forwarded messages, which will supposedly prevent the spread of misinformation on the platform. The Forwarded label works for photos, videos as well as text messages making it easier for users to identify stuff that is being circulated. Of course, Forwarded label is not a full-proof solution to all problems of fake news, but will hopefully make users mindful of what they mass forward.

It is unclear to what extent will Forwarded label be successful in a country like India. where many may not even understand its purpose or perhaps be bothered by its presence. Plus it will not take long for users to figure out a work-around to the Forwarded label as well. WhatsApp users can get rid of the tag by attaching media directly from device’s gallery or copy-pasting text to send to friends.

The idea is that when users receive a message that has the ‘Forward label’ they will be more skeptical of it, perhaps question its authenticity as well. They will also know that the person who has sent them the message, did not write it.

More control to Group Admins

WhatsApp Group Admins now have a lot more control over who can send messages on a group, change group photo and description, etc. The features will essentially prove to be helpful for bigger groups on WhatsApp, where a large number of people are involved. As a group admins, one can make co-admins as well, thus giving power to send messages, etc only to those who can be relied upon.

The same goes for scenarios where group admins can decide whether all participants or only group admins can change WhatsApp group description, name, etc.